The Joint Advocacy Initiative is a joint programme of the East Jerusalem YMCA and the YWCA of Palestine. It was founded in 2000 in order to respond to the new reality of life during the Second Intifada and under an intensified military occupation by the Israeli army. The initiative aims to achieve change both at the local and the international level. On the local level, it mobilises Palestinian organisations and individuals to engage in the struggle for the respect of their basic rights and to work for social change. On the international level, JAI takes part in the global YMCA/YWCA movement and advocates for the recognition of Palestinian rights on the basis of international law and for international support for the Palestinian people. The group is a very valued founding member of PIRT as it brings along extensive experience in advocacy work and in facilitating human encounters and experiential activities with visitors and host communities. In addition, its rootedness in one of the largest global Christian youth movements provides us with an access to many potential visitors of the Holy Land.